THX - t.e.s.t.o.s.t.e.r.o.n.e.

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2005)

It has been mentioned often that this film borrows a lot from other Utopian / futuristic films (for me most notably THX, because of the white suits and the setting) and actually I've read that it is a remake of a film called The Clonus horror, The Island can be seen as a film in itself. While I admit there is a lot of borrowing I cannot get why people are upset by this. If people go on like that they might as well argue that Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula, exactly 70 years later, partially borrowed from Nosferatu (1922) in the case of the medallion of Ellen/Mina which is not in the Dracula novel. Also you can start moaning that For a few Dollars More is a remake of Yojimbo that A.I. - Artificial Intelligence is built around Pinocchio and Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov and on and on and on.....you get my drift. What I am saying is that this is all BLAH by people who hate the movie anyway...be it good or bad. What to say about the Island itself then?
Well first of all let me say that the advertising was extremely bad. They make commercials for a film called THE "bloody" ISLAND and during the whole trailer we do not get to see of hear anything about an island. Then there's a SPOILER: the 'I am Tom Lincoln scene' which ruins part of the movie, not to mention the good old from the director of...I MEAN REALLY; COME ON...that's not a reason to see a film so cut that crap out. The trailer would have been much better if it had been on the lines of...IN THE FUTURE...AFTER A CONTAMINATION...THERE ARE BUT TWO PLACES SAFE FOR MANKIND...AN OFF-SHORE PLANT WHERE MANKIND IS TO WORK AND REPOPULATE...AND A REMOTE AND MYSTERIOUS OASIS CALLED THE ISLAND...BUT WHAT THEY DO NOT KNOW...THERE IS NO ISLAND...THERE'S ONLY DEATH then cutting towards some gruesome scenes and some action...'THE ISLAND'...OPENS...! Blame the producers for the BOMB, not Scarlett and Ewan and don't bother blaming Michael. It's too easy...I mean when they actually advertise 'By the director of Armageddon and Pearl Harbour' everybody knows what they'll get. I mean it's like complaining when you go see a Woody Allen movie and and get out saying 'I can't believe he played a neurotic dud AGAIN.'
Of the whole movie I liked the first hour best, because there was actually quite a lot of plot and it was interesting to see 6-Echo (Ewan McGregor) and 2-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) out in the world. In that first hour the film was very variable as well. There were some touching, some funny moments and it was generally interesting and well paced unlike for instance THX-1138 which drags on and on and in 88 minutes covers what this one does in 45 or so. Then the film becomes THX on testosterone. Huge explosions fights and, well... all the Michael Bay stuff. Don't get me wrong, I like big bangs and stuff but Michael, well it's all too 'produced' for me. Really I mean his films are like 2 hour commercials...everybody looking so styled even when they just went up in flames...and the colors...plus I think his trademark camera-work is getting older than John Woo's white pigeons. Anyway, I felt that the second hour wasn't nearly as good as the first one, for it dragged on too long. I get that feeling often nowadays with movies. It seems to me that they have plot for something like 100 minutes but they try and stretch it to just over 2 hours with elaborate action scenes and 'not quite yet' endings. Too bad filmmakers want to tie everything up nowadays...I felt the same way with Mr. and Mrs. Smith which I felt dragged a bit in the end too...but maybe that's just Hollywood.
I generally do not dislike Michael Bay although I must say I didn't like Bad Boys II. He is what he is as is Kurosawa, Spielberg and Scorsese. I mainly went to the cinema to get entertained, see explosions and watch a beautiful Miss Scarlett...maybe see a plot. I was satisfied reasonably on three counts and very much on the third. Yet the length of the movie and some ridiculous action scenes (oh let's do that...we haven't seen it done like this and it will be more spectacular than the scene in...) spoiled a bit of the fun. Great work Ewan, Scarlett, Steve and the people from make-up. Michael...reconsider your style and what your doing at times.
6,75 out of 10 (with a small 7 given upon voting)